The Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum –
a meeting of all the minds in our basin.
Since 2004, the annual International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum has been a strategic incubator for cross-border research, management collaboration, networking and communication.
The Foundation leads a partnership of agencies to organize the Forum each year. Attended each year by upwards of 160 research and resource managers, the Forum is the "hub" for all groups working to ensure the future ecological integrity of the waters of the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Basin.
Over the two days of the 2025 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum, we heard from nearly two dozen presenters. Missed the event or want to refresh your memory on these presentations? Now you can take in most of the talks as video recordings, available on our website at the link below!
video
2025 Watershed Forum
A big "thank you" to our 2025 sponsors. Hosting the Forum each year would not be possible without the support of many organizations, including:
- Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
- Grand Council Treaty #3
- Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Global Affairs Canada
- Minnesota North College - Rainy River campus
- St. Cloud State University
- International Joint Commission
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Jefferson National Parks Association in cooperation with Voyageurs National Park
- Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association
- Rainy Lake Conservancy
- Rainy Lake Property Owners Association
- Voyageurs Conservancy
To become a sponsor of the 2025 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum, please contact:
Teika Newton,
Nominations are now closed for the 2025 Kallemeyn Award. The 2025 Kallemeyn Award will be presented on the evening of March 12, 2025 at the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum during the Foundation reception.
The Kallemeyn Award is presented annually by the Foundation to an individual who has demonstrated in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed:
- Outstanding professional achievement in scientific research or resource management.
- Significant contributions to collaborative and cooperative approaches to research or resource management internationally.
The Award will be presented at the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum when there’s a deserving recipient as determined by the selection committee.
Nominations are now closed for the Wilson Stewardship Award. The Wilson Award will be presented on the evening of March 12, 2025 at the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum during the Foundation reception.
The Wilson Stewardship Award is presented by the Foundation to individuals, groups, or projects that have made significant contributions to environmental stewardship in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed through:
- Education, outreach, civic engagement and participation in stewardship initiatives or program development.
- Projects or programs focused on protection, restoration, preservation or reduction of environmental impact and development of sustainable practices.
The Award will be presented at the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum (March, 2025) when there’s a deserving recipient as determined by the selection committee.
Organizing the Forum is a collaborative effort of many individuals and agencies, lead by the Foundation. Many thanks to the 2025 Forum Organizing Committee, all of whom have helped organize and run this annual "meeting of the minds" in our watershed for many years.
- Teika Newton, Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
- Meghan Mills, Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
- Jesse Anderson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Mike Kennedy, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Andrew Paterson, Ontario Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks
- Lucas King, Territorial Planning Unit, Grand Council Treaty 3
- Kayla Bowe, Red Lake Department of Natural Resources
- Ryan Maki, Voyageurs National Park
- Kelly Sjerven, Minnesota North College - Rainy River campus
- Diana Fred, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Matt Julius, Minnesota St. Cloud State University
- Reugen Wagenius, Minnesota St. Cloud State University
- Todd Sellers, Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
Limited travel support may be available to assist postgraduate students to present their research at the Forum, from the Deborah Battigelli Memorial Fund at the Foundation. Support is typically offered for up to one student per year. To receive support through the fund, a candidate's research abstracts must be accepted for presentation at the Forum. To apply, contact Todd Sellers, Executive Director,
The Battigelli family established the Deborah Battigelli Memorial Fund at LOWWSF to honour Deborah’s love of life at the lake and her interest to preserve the lake area for future generations to continue to enjoy what she loved. The Fund assists the up-and-coming generation of scientists with their research on our lakes with limited travel support to present their research at the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum.
Proceedings Reports of the annual International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum are available from 2006 onward, here: Forum Proceedings
A huge thank you to St. Cloud State University for doing everything we needed to take the Forum virtual this year.
A special "shout out" from us to St. Cloud U's Reuben Wagenius, ITV/Video Conferencing Guru, and Matt Julius, Professor for all their work to make the video-conference possible.
A huge thank you to St. Cloud State University for doing everything we needed to take the Forum virtual this year.
A special "shout out" from us to St. Cloud U's Reuben Wagenius, ITV/Video Conferencing Guru, and Matt Julius, Professor for all their work to make the video-conference possible.